Cleanup at mile marker 123.9 is expected to take most of the afternoon.

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Conditions on Interstate 81 are improving after two tractor-trailer wrecks snarled southbound traffic between Roanoke and Christiansburg this morning.

A traffic blockage due to a 10:30 a.m. wreck at mile marker 129.7 has cleared, said Heidi Underwood, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Both lanes are now open, she said.

Meanwhile, a crew will need several hours to clear a wrecked tractor-trailer on southbound I-81 at mile marker 123.9 near Christiansburg. As of 12:40 p.m., VDOT reports traffic was backed up about 7.5 miles.

The early-morning wreck ripped open the trailer and its contents spilled. Before the truck can be cleared from the highway, crews have to unload a portion of its merchandise and shore up the ripped section.